


Purple Mandala

by Jiaxing



Category: Original Work
Genre: Esper - Freeform, M/M, Magic, Supernatural Elements, Warlock - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-03-24
Updated: 2018-03-31
Packaged: 2019-04-07 11:29:54
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 6,332
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14079945
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jiaxing/pseuds/Jiaxing
Summary: Anthony Lotsano is a shape shifter. He can shift each cell in his body into blades. Yep, you read it correctly. In other words, Anthony is a living and walking blades. This special power of his makes him giving up all hope for relationship and to have intimate times with anybody. He even took an oath to never falling in love again.That's before he finally meet Campbell Timofei, the rouge, playboy warlock that Anthony despise the most. A horrific supernatural phenomenon forces their communities, ESPER and sorcerer, to work together and put Anthony and Campbell as partners.Anthony's special "condition" intrigues Campbell. One night, with his smooth talk and strong magic, against all odds, Campbell manages to take Anthony's virginity.What will happen afterwards? Can Anthony accept the fact that he maybe falling in love with the handsome, purple-eyed rogue warlock whom he initially despise? And will Campbell voluntarily tie himself to the beautiful ESPER that he initially bedded out of curiosity?Not to mention, despite the temporary collaboration, their communities hate each other.





	1. Meet Anthony Lotsano

**Author's Note:**

> Hiya, welcome to my new story. Actually, I published this story on Wattpad too. You could go there to see the cast I chose for this story. Here's the link https://my.w.tt/hSsgApLfyL
> 
>  
> 
> **This story is a spin-off from my novel, The Protector. I published it here too, but not all. So, most of the chapters are corresponding with the chapters in the novel, but here they're told from Anthony and Campbell's POV.

**Anthony's POV**

_Valentine’s day…_

I sighed at the couples around me. They were busy pouring their affections to their partners, smiling and laughing so happily. I hated this day very much, since I would never have such luck in love.

My name is Anthony Lotsano. I was 21year old, and I was single. I’d always been since… well, almost forever. I had had a girlfriend back when I was in middle school. I was around 14year old that time. She was beautiful and bubbly, and I was lucky to have her. We went to dates, holding hands, and kissing, like any other couples would do in a relationship. I remembered I was happy that time. However, fate decided to end our relationship harshly. Fate let my power manifested on our first anniversary.

I was kissing my girlfriend, quite ecstatic with her moaning beneath me and feeling her hands on my body all over. And then I shifted.

Oh, didn’t I mention that I was special? As in having supernatural power special? _My bad._

Anyway, I was a shape-shifter. Each cell in my body could shift into…blades. Yep, you read correctly. Blades, as in those attached on knives, daggers, and the kind. That cold, steely, and sharp part of them. So, you could imagine what happened when I first shifted, couldn’t you?

I hurt my girlfriend and was that close in killing her. Luckily, my family was the same as me. They were ESPER too, people with superpower. My father and sister were the type of ESPER with enhanced intelligence, called as the Brain. My mother was a Schemer, the type of ESPER who had access to people’s mind, which we called ‘box’. Meanwhile, my baby brother was like me, a Warrior, the type of ESPER who had offensive power. My brother had a knack with knives too, but he was more fortunate than I was. He could control knives with his power, like telekinetic thing-y, but he wasn’t a shape-shifter.

Anyway, in short, my mother rushed to force my girlfriend’s body to heal, while my father and sister built a machine to make her forgot about the incident. And in the process, about me as well. After my girlfriend healed most of her wounds, my baby brother sent her back to her house, sneaked her into her room. She woke up not remembering me. We moved away from that town afterward. My parents sent us, their children, the three siblings, to an academy specialized in schooling ESPERs.

The academy was established by Alpha Law, the world’s number one ESPER. The civilian, ordinary humans without power, otherwise, known him as one of the richest conglomerates in the world. The Law family’s business expanded from manufacturing simple toiletries to the multi-billion dollars armaments. In short, the Law family governed over us, ESPERs, helping us to hide our existence from the civilians. 

In my years at the academy I met and made many friends. Those friends became my colleagues after we graduated and decided to work at the Laws’ EOPID or Extra-Ordinary Phenomenon Investigation Department. The department had the mission to maintain the tranquillity of the natural life, disciplining any wayward power users, and keeping the civilians in the dark about our powers. Beside us, ESPER, there were two other kinds of power users. The first one, and which we despised most, was the sorcerers, witches and warlocks alike. They were not granted for power by the mother nature, but they bent the nature’s will with their crafts and created their magic. Their magic often created nothing but trouble for the civilians and the nature world, so we were the one who’d usually do their dirty laundries, cleaning up after them. See, despise. 

The second kind was the Shamans. Similar with ESPER, Shaman was born with sacred power to tame and use spirits power for their own disposal. Shaman community, however, was more secluded and mysterious than the ESPER or sorcery community. They would only come forward if the problem was affecting their community, or the civilians protected by their community. So, mostly it was us ESPER, against the sorcerers, to keep the world’s peace.

Back to my miserable love-life… Of course, I tried dating ESPER as well. I thought it was safer since the two of us were power users. Yep, bad call. She was screaming and clawing me when I, again, lost my shift during our intimate time. It was embarrassing to have half of your dorm-mates racing to your room due to your girl friend’s frantic screaming. I swear I was about to kill myself with one of my blades that time. Luckily, my gang of best friends, Abel, Shyu, Hannah, and Pats helped me to silence all the intimidating rumours and sneers, allowing me to keep my head up after the incident. As for the girl, she asked for transfer in the second week. I supposed that my sister Ann, who had become one of the academy administrators, had some talk with that girl and persuaded her to leave it at that. 

Anyway, the second incident was the last string. _I’m done with dating and I swear to have nothing to do with love. Well, as long as I’m still me, that is._

Hence, imagine how surprised I was when, my oath was ended, and my love life was started by the one kind of power user I despised most. Yep, a sorcerer. And not only that, fellas, not only that. Mother nature decided that that person should be a warlock. A _fucking_ male.

**


	2. Lap Dog, Rouge Dog?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Meet Campbell Timofei

**Campbell's POV**

The knock on my bedroom door got louder. I’d tried to ignore it and pursue my beauty sleep longer, but they were so fucking stubborn. I groaned, buried my head deeper to the pillow, before I heard a click and Laurey’s voice thundering into my room.

“Fucking finally, Campbell Timofei!! I thought I have to…,” there was a pause, before Laurey’s pitch got higher, “…and who’re you?”

I frowned. Whom did Laurey speak to? This was my room, and I was certainly alone? I peeked from below my pillow and my eyes met a pair of round and fluffy ass, barely wrapped by a pair of black thongs. I groaned. I forgot. I totally forgot that I brought somebody home last night.

“Well, good morning to you too, Master Alchemist…,” said the fluffy ass. I swear, I asked her name last night… I mentally raking my brain to fish out a possible name. Melanie, Merlin, Melon…??? 

“My name is Madelon of Guillemot Order,” the fluffy ass introduced herself. _Yes, Madelon._ I should’ve guessed. I portaled myself to Paris last night and crashed their order’s party. French sorcerers made one hell of a party, I had to give them. I vaguely remembered I seduced her there, and alcohol helped to speed up the deed. But I rarely took my one-night-stand home, so I must had been very drunk last night. 

“You took another order’s witch to this castle without Cody’s permission?!!” Laurey yelled at the top of her lungs, pushing her way against the Guillemot witch, and pulled my pillow away. I blinked at her beautiful face. Her caramel-coloured skin turned a shade darker due to her fuming rage at me. Her tawny eyes were like spark of fire, glimmering with anger. “You surely have balls, Timofei!” She spat.

“Yep, I do have a pair, Laurey. You used to suck them good, remember?” I fluttered my eyelashes, winking at her. She was fuming even more.

“You slept with her too?!!” Melon decided to jump into our conversation. _Perfect._ I did not need two high-pitched girls to yell at me at this early of morning, especially when I was having hangover. My head throbbed from their yelling. 

“Haven’t you ever heard about this man?” Laurey pointed her manicured finger at me, making a face at Melon. “He is _the_ Campbell Timofei of the Vsevolod Order. Not only that he’s a rogue warlock, he’s a dog. He jumps everything that moves and has bedded almost all of the young women in his order, thus his own mother sent him away, so he’d not do any more harm to their witches.”

“And you did enjoy this dog to warm your bed as well, Ms. Gyngan,” I sneered at Laurey. She’s such a hypocrite. We were friends with benefit before she decided that she was _better_ than me and refused to sleep with me anymore. _Like_ I _care._ I could find another bed warmer as easy as breathing. 

Laurey spat again, murder was brightening her tawny eyes. Melon, on her side, had her mouth open so wide she might catch a fly. Why did I choose her last night, again? Normally I won’t be attracted to the air-headed. Melon clutched her hands on her chest, drawing my eyes to a pair of round, huge melons on her chest. _Oh yeah, there are my reasons. That, and most likely with the other pair of_ _fluffy melons on her rear._ Melon snapped her head at me, evident rage painted her dark skin.

“I can’t believe I followed you home!!” She shrieked, followed by a string of curses in French. My mother was mentioned in there too, if my French didn’t fail me. Melon angrily snapped her fingers and she was instantly clothed in her order’s pastel-blue coat. She then spoke a string of chant in French, before a portal opened up in the middle of my room. In her anger, she made the portal in the shape of a whirlwind, sucking my things into it.

“Hey!!!” I yelled at her, shooting my own magic to force her portal closing faster, before it sucked most of my furniture with it. Melon raised her middle finger but letting my magic closed the portal for her. My room was one big of a mess after she was gone, like wild horses had been galloping around it. I gritted my teeth and cursed that fluffy ass in Russian, my mother tongue.

“Oh, you did see this coming,” Laurey jeered. “It’s such a shame she didn’t castrate you. Somebody should be doing that to you one day.”

“Shut up,” I snorted, snapping my fingers to tidy my room with magic. The curls and ribbons of magical tattoos on my arms were still glowing bright purple from the chains of magic I let out to close Melon’s portal and to tidy my room. “Why did you come here anyway?” I flicked my chin-long, dirty-blonde hair to the back of my ear, narrowing my eyes to Laurey.

Laurey returned my despising glance with one of her own. She crossed her arms on her chest, snorting loudly. “Cody asked me to wake you up and remind you to accompany him to today’s meeting. Don’t tell me that you’ve forgotten about it?” 

I raked my brain again, pulling out information about the said ‘meeting’. My hungover brain failed me once more. In front of me, Laurey huffed impatiently. She snatched my purple coat, the colour of my order, and tossed it to my face. 

 _“You_ will accompany Cody to meet the Law and their army of ESPER. _You_ will protect Cody with your life, just in case, as your bond tattoo required you to!”

My teeth gritted instantly as my hand reflexively dragged over a set of choker-like tattoo surrounding my neck. I could feel the weight of it, choking me out of my freedom. I hated the tattoo, as much as I hated the person who carved it on my neck with his magic, forcefully binding me to serfdom to him. With a roar, I jumped at Laurey, pinning her to the wall. 

“You did not just say that!” I warned her, grabbing a handful of her burgundy-coloured long hair, and twisted her head sideward. Laurey glared back at me, challenging me to continue. “The tattoo only forbids me to not hurt Cody. Its protection does not include you, Gyngan…”

“You try and hurt me, you, asshole. See if Cody won’t use it to torment you,” she warned back. I took a deep breath, pushing down my instinct to rip her apart. She was a strong Master Alchemist, I gave her that, but her magic was no par of mine. However, she was Cody’s right hand too. He cared for her like a sister. Cody would definitely kill me if I ever hurt her. 

Harshly, I let her go and put on a white crop-tops before I slipped into my coat. The warmth of the protection magic sewn on each thread of the mandala pattern drawn on it relieved my body, refreshing it, cast away the remaining hangover, just like caffeine to the coffee addict. For us, sorcerers, our coat was our armour and self-identification. Each order, which established from several covens and clans, had different coat colour. Hence, we identified ourselves from one order with the other based from our coat colour. My order’s colour was deep purple, like the colour of my family member’s eyes.

“Fine. Cody wants to show me off to that bunch of ESPERs, so be it,” I snorted, tying my combat boot over a pair of black, ripped jeans that hung low on my waist, revealing the waistband of my navy-blue briefs. I zipped my long coat up to the mandarin-styled collar on top of it. Cody wanted to show the ESPER that he could tame me, a Vsevolod first-class warlock, despite of our order’s tendency to be a rouge, so he could establish his influence firmer to their community. _Fine._ I could only play along since he did have power over me. However, I won’t give those ESPERs satisfaction from seeing the bond tattoo Cody made on my neck. Thankfully, my coat collar was high enough to do the trick.

“He trusts you, Campbell,” Laurey broke my reverie. Her voice soft. “Despite your rough beginning, he trusts you as his second as days passed by.”

I snickered at her comment. I held her gaze with my own. “How, Laurey? I killed his ESPER girlfriend. You don’t trust the person who did that to you. Trust me, you could only see his good side. As for me, I know his darker side, Laurey,” I pinched her cheek. Laurey slapped my hand and glared. I smirked. “Now, where did you say he waits for me?”

“He’d gone to the meeting place,” Laurey replied, passing me a piece of paper. “That’s the coordinate of the meeting place. They meet at the Law Inc. office.”

I made a face when I heard the destination. “That’s the lion’s den,” I complained.

“That’s why, just go,” Laurey cast her magic and opened a portal. With a swift movement, he pushed me into it.

**


	3. The Law Inc.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Campbell infiltrated the ESPER office

**Campbell's POV**

Laurey’s portal dropped me in front of a really intimidating and impressive office complex. It was approximately 20hectare wide, occupied by four blocks of forty stories high skyscrapers. The skyscrapers were built with modern design and glimmering under the sunlight from all the glasses covering the structure. The building advertising power, authority, and order. At the huge parking lot and at the front court of the complex, serious-looking and smartly dressed employees were filing in and out the building like an unending wave. The whole atmosphere that the complex presenting was serious business and superiority, could easily intimidate any guest who was foreign to the place.

For the civilians, the building was probably luring for them to work in it. However, beneath that serious and all-business layer, I could see that the Law Inc. office was also heavily secured with a layer of strong barrier to ward off any intruders with super powers. For ESPER to be able to cast such strong barrier was surprising for me. No wonder that the Law was being the prominent leader in the ESPER community. I licked my bottom lip, amused with the development.

I thought Cody was being his boring self when he agreed to sign a peace treaty and work together with the ESPER to solve the chaos brought by some dark crafts that created zombie-like creatures called Balin. This Balin phenomena had shaken the foundation of our sorcery community a century ago, even brought one of our strongest orders to extinction. The craft was forbidden ever since and was destroyed. Or so we thought. A year ago, this Balin phenomena resurrected. Some of that nasty creatures killed civilians, drawing the ESPER’s attention to them, then to us.

ESPER had always been despising us, and we loathed them for being such a snob community. I had to admit, we, sorcerers, had limited span of attention and often let our magical creatures left unattended, creating troubles for the civilians. On events like that, the ESPER (read: _the_ Laws) would send down their team to clean up after our mess. So yeah, we’re despicable that way. However, ever since becoming our community’s hegemony leader, Cody McAllen had tried to school our sorcerers better. So, when this Balin phenomena happened, Cody was driven to catch the culprit. His determination was extended to signing the treaty with the Laws. Under his real name.

 _What’s the big deal of using his real name, you ask?_ Well, it was a big deal for us sorcerers since the knowledge of our real name could render us powerless. If our enemy knew our real name, they could bind us under their spell and kill us as easy as snapping their fingers. We, thus, had two names. The first one was our real name, given by our parents and kept hidden from another party. We could only reveal our real name to our spouse or future spouse. Giving out our real name was our biggest act of loving someone, it was deeper than our ‘I love you’-s. If we told someone our real name, it was the same as lying our life for their disposal.

The second name was what we used daily, to introduce ourselves to others. Me, of course, would never give out my name to anyone. It was stupid.

That was my initial plan, anyway. Because, Cody McAllen managed to rob my real name by using his girlfriend’s ( _wait_ , since the girl had died, should she be his ex-girlfriend?) power. His ex was an ESPER, a Schemer, the type of ESPER who had access to people’s box. Annoying bugs. Anyway, that bitch had power to retrieve any information she wanted or needed to know from someone’s head. Cody made her steal my name and used it to bind me into serfdom to him. _Yeah, yeah_ , I admit I was a bit annoying that time. I infiltrated his order, screwing his beloved, sister-like Master Alchemist, Laurey Gyngan, and around a dozen of their Magellinian Order’s witches, breaking some hearts in the process. My deeds caught Cody’s attention and he decided to punish me. _By making me his lapdog_. Oh well, I killed that ESPER bitch anyway, leaving Cody broken hearted and hated me to his bones. However, he couldn’t kill me as well, since I was bonded to him. Heh, served him good.

The bond tattoo didn’t allow me to kill Cody, but on the other hand, it kept me from being murdered by Cody too. _And_ , even though I couldn’t kill him, I made it as my life mission to embarrass Cody anywhere, anytime possible. Now, he wanted my presence in this meeting with the ESPERs, I better made this worthwhile. I’d screw Cody’s dignity in front of them, embarrassing him thoroughly. Smirking while concocting mischievous plans to embarrass Cody in front of our new alley, I approached the Law’s building.

My eyes immediately caught Cody’s silhouette. He was talking to a blonde young man with long fringes screening one side of his face, covering his prominent sterling-grey eyes. Like Cody, the young man had bleached blonde hair. Their blonde hairs were so fair that people could have mistaken them as white. However, Cody’s hair was still one shade darker than the young man. Cody was wearing his Magellinian’s white coat, adorned with pattern of black Mandalas on the back and on its long sleeves. Those black threads and his forest-green eyes were the only colour you could find on Cody. Otherwise, our hegemony leader, _my boss_ , was white from top to toe. He had fair hair and skin, always wore white shirt and slacks, complemented them with a pair of white leather shoes. That colour made him almost transparent, to be honest.

That was why, standing next to the young man, they made a perfect contrast. Other than his blonde¾almost white¾hair, the young man was wearing black leather. Black leather jacket, leather pants, leather combat boots, even black leather fingerless gloves. Not only that, although possessing a strong magic, Cody was not blessed with height. He was short in his 160 or so centimetre, 20cm shorter than me and that man in black. I snickered on that. Recalling my plan, I decided to cast the invisible magic to hide my presence. I followed them quietly, slipping into the barrier where they lifted for mere seconds to let Cody in. I tamed my aura, so Cody would not feel my presence when we were inside the elevator. Luckily, Cody was preoccupied with the young man, and did not aware of me.

The elevator brought us down, to the basement. That was interesting. I wondered what kind of office these snob ESPERs had. The black-leathered guy escorted Cody out of the elevator, into a meeting room with long desk surrounded by office chairs. Cody took one chair at the front, sitting his ass there, and calmly waited for the Law ESPERs to come and join him there. I snorted at that. I wouldn’t want to waste my time to wait patiently in that room. Still maintaining my invisible chant, I snooped around their headquarters.

I followed Cody’s escort, walking into a huge room similar as that of a hangar. Even though we were currently at the basement of the Law Inc., the room had high ceilings. In the middle of the room there was a giant computer, installed vertically with multiple flat screens attached surrounding it. I noticed three ESPERs were sitting around the computer on their flying chairs, moving around like three satellites.  The sight intrigued me, made me wonder whether the chairs were operated with magic. When I approached them, I learned that the chairs were supported by some sort of magnetic field installed at the bottom of the computer, surrounding it. So, it was actually science instead of magic.

My snooping session got interrupted by a ruckus happened at the other side of the room. A couple of ESPERs were goofing around during their office hours and they got scolded by their superiors. One of them was Cody’s escort. Next to the young man was a babe with raven, wavy and long hair. She was beautiful. Her smoky-eyes make-up highlighted her sharp misty-grey eyes, and her crimson-red lipstick complimented her inviting full lips. From the look of it, she was the big shot who was running this place. Even the young man looked submissive toward her. I groaned mentally for the lack of my good luck for not having such a hot babe to be my boss. If Cody were half as hot as her, I could stand my bond tattoo better. Well, so much for wishful thinking, I scoffed.

After settling down the ruckus, barking her command, the hot boss strode toward the door. On her heels, silenced with the stern command, the ESPERs lumbering along. I didn’t follow them, continuing my snooping instead. I checked the cubicles at the opposite side of the giant computer, where most of the ESPERs stationed. Nothing interesting there. I peeked through the glass of the office located at the far corner of the huge room. I guessed that was the hot babe’s office. It was mostly barren too. Hot babe was not the type to personalize her working bubble, apparently. I walked pass their pantry and stopped in front of three glass tubes. Like the computer, the three glass tubes were installed vertically, each was held by one saucer-like machine on the top, and one on its bottom. The saucers were plugged into electricity. I wondered what the machines do.

Apparently, the ESPERs were high-teched community and had some cool toys. However, I preferred magic. _Less hassle_. I padded around the room once more and after I got bored, I walked back to the meeting room. I heard Cody’s voice, introducing himself.

“My name is Cody McAllen. I am a first-class Warlock, the head of Magellinian Order that’s located at Pacific and Atlantic region. I am the leader of Sorcery Orders Hegemony as well.”

The ESPERs’s murmuring voices erupted at the introduction. Clearly, they did their homework. They acknowledged Cody’s high status in the sorcery community. Yeah, in short, if they had the Laws as their leaders, we had Cody.

Still in my invisible spell, I looked around the room to find a seat. I finally chose to sit at the end of the table, on an empty seat near a brunette young man. I passed a glance and watched him closely. He had a pair of slanted eyes with dark iris. He watched Cody silently, his gaze was sharp although his eyes were mostly screened by his bangs. He bit the bottom of his thin-upper lips when he was listening the exchanges between Cody and one of his colleagues. He might be quiet, but his small gestures like biting his lips, tapping his long fingers on his long legs, rubbing his long neck, were distracting. I found my eyes darted back at him every so often, whenever he moved quietly. I didn’t know what was wrong with me today, because normally I never paid second glance for a dude. No matter how cute they were.  

I shook my head, trying to follow the conversation happened at the front of the room.

On the big, transparent monitor behind Cody, there was a picture of a sorcerer that I knew well. He was Cody’s best friend, Ivan Aramanth. I acknowledged him as a strong warlock. His last creation was the wisdom orb, an orb that could elevate its user’s magic and power. Useful little thing. Ivan died several months ago from his illness, and his order, the Trevelyan, was attacked soon after. His baby sister was missing after the attack, while his wisdom orb was stolen. Therefore, Cody was hell-bent to find the culprit and Ivan’s sister. That was when we eventually learned about Balin craft. And, a couple of nights ago, Cody was informed that those who attacked Trevelyan Order had turned Ivan and his boyfriend Jonathan into a couple of Balins. Most likely, they done it with Ivan’s own wisdom orb. Ivan and Jonathan, then, were killed by the ESPERs who were sent to investigate the killings done by their Balins. Noticing that there was no way to keep this Balin craft secret from the other community (read: the ESPER), Cody reached for them, signing a pact to investigate and solve this nasty craft together. Hence, dragging me here.

“Mr. Lee,” Cody spoke his defense speech for Ivan to an ESPER with the chin long, orange-dyed hair. The ESPER looked stupid. “Ivan was my childhood friend. We played and learned our craft together. I could assure you one thing, Ivan had always hated the type of craft like the Balin creation the most. He created the orb not for that purpose, but to help himself to improve his own skill, so he could extend his life-span and to be with his lover for a little longer.”

“However, then, ironically and tragically, the orb’s secret fell into the perpetrator’s hand. They even used Aramanth as their guinea pig, resurrected him and his lover as the first gay Balin couple ever exist,” I couldn’t resist not to speak. I lifted off my invisibility spell and revealed myself.

Their eyes immediately bugged at me. The handsome brunette next to me jumped, surprised. His expression was still impassive, but his slant eyes widened with shock, while his hand reflexively clutched his chair’s arm rest. He was like a scared cat. _So_ _cute_. I grinned at him. He gawked even more, and I noticed that his eyes were oak-brown, instead of black. They suited him, giving him that solemn and serene vibe. His thin-upper lips cracked a nervous smile when I winked at him. He was prettier when he smiled, I noticed.

“You’re late, Campbell!!” _Of course_ , Cody had to choose that very second to scold me.

**


	4. Partners

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Anthony and Campbell are partners...^^

**Anthony's POV**

I jumped on my seat when I heard an alien voice next to me. I swore the chair was empty a second ago, but now it was occupied by a guy who wore a similar outfit as McAllen did. However, his long coat color was deep purple, while the Mandala and magical patterns on it were sewn with white threads. The patterns themselves were different with McAllen’s. The stranger’s thin lips flashed a smug smile when he noticed our befuddled expression, while his pair of almond-shape, violet eyes shone wickedly under his trimmed eyebrows. He had a diamond-shaped face, which now screened partially by his wavy and chin long, dirty-blonde hair when he cocked his head side-ways, grinning and winking, _at me_.

I collected myself and flashed him a smile.

Cody McAllen scolded the guy, _Campbell?_ However, he seemed insouciant. He still had his long legs sprawled on our long table, merely shrugging his shoulders to answer McAllen.

“I came ten minutes ago in invisible magic, just when you started your blabbering. It’s not my fault that you lot were way too engrossed in the discussion that you didn’t sense my presence,” the purple warlock replied. His English was accented, where the ‘s’ was pronounced slightly sharper. _Russian?_ I cocked my head, wondering. He caught my movement and smirked at me, made me righted myself hastily. _What’s wrong with him?_

“Hey McAllen, is he your lap dog?” Lior asked harshly, seemed upset since none of us acknowledge the new sorcerer’s presence. Lior Sebastian was one of our youngest colleagues. He and his twin brother Erwann were barely 18years old this year.

“Mind your tongue, Boy!” I jumped on my seat once more when Campbell slammed the table with one hand, as his other hand shot a geomancy wave toward Lior.

Fortunately, Erwann was deft. Even before we could scream in horror or react, he had ‘made’ his brother to rise his hands and formed a shield out of his lightning energy. The two of them were warriors, but Lior was the one who had the lightning power, and Erwann was the one who could ‘command’ his brother to use his power. So, without Erwann, Lior was basically powerless.

The sorcerer did attack in full power since the twins had to use a huge amount of energy to maintain their shield and defend themselves. Their chairs were pushed backward when the two energies clashed.

“Mind yourself, Campbell!” McAllen warned.

Campbell clenched his teeth. Murder was still on his violet eyes, but he obeyed the warning. He threw himself back to his chair and crossed his legs again on the table. I could hear his breath ragged with rage next to me. Clearly, Lior pushed his button good. I peered at him. He had his jaw set and watching the Sebastian twins like a predator. The twins were clutching each other for support, slightly trembling at the knowledge that they almost died from one attack of the sorcerer.

“My apologies,” McAllen said to Miss B, our nickname for Brilliant Law, the daughter of Mr. Alpha Law, our boss.

“The fault was on my side too,” Miss B replied airily, giving the Sebastian twins a pointed glare. Erwann got the hint and nodded.

“Ladies and gentlemen please meet Mr. McAllen’s partner, Campbell Timofei,” Miss B addressed Campbell, who was still sulking in his chair. “Starting from tomorrow, the two of them will be joining our department.”

The room immediately filled with the buzzing sounds, the buzzing of dissatisfaction.

“Miss B, why are you inviting these sorcerers to join us? Won’t we have the wolf by the ears by doing so?” Abel protested. Abel was one of my best friends. He and his partner, Alexa, were the two field agents who were sent to investigate the crime conducted by Ivan Aramanth from the Trevelyan Order. Abel had not yet update me with the details, but I saw there was glint of distraught in his eyes that I had never seen on him before. He was a carefree person, so I suspected they’d seen something during the mission that had been disturbing them. 

“If you’ve signed the pact with them, then be it. There’s not necessary to let them join in!” added Alexa. The girl was a year younger than the twins, but she was a lot more mature than them.

Aeronwen, our bleach blonde commander, stood up and raised his hands to silence our protests. “Guys, please calm down a bit. Miss B did not agree with Mr. McAllen’s request out of the blue. Why don’t we give Mr. McAllen a chance to tell him his reason first?”

My colleagues finally held their complaints and gave Cody McAllen chance to speak. The sorcerer was putting us under the scrutiny of his blue eyes, intimidating us with his charisma as he was doing so. In my opinion, he was no less scary than Miss B was.

“As I told you before, Ivan was my best friend. I personally against the Balin craft, yet someone turned my best friend into a Balin. Don’t I deserve to have a say on this matter? To be honest, what I wanted the most at the moment is to revenge the culprit for all their doing to Ivan and Jonathan. I also have to find back the wisdom orb. They cannot have it, or they will be making more Balins. Be it for my own personal interest or for my community’s, my objectives are no different with yours. So, instead of working separately, why don’t we join hands to put down this matter to its end?”

“That’s why, until we could root this problem out, we will be working with you,” Campbell added.

“So, it’s a temporary thing...,” James, one of our Brain members, looked relieved.

“Will you put them in new team, Miss B?” Basil asked, drawing our immediate attention to the eleven years old Brain. I could see a single thought crossed my colleagues’ mind.

“They can’t be put in one team, Miss B!” Alexa said.

“Sorry, but we don’t trust them, Miss B,” Abel interjected too.

Calmly, Miss B stared at us one by one. She cocked her head and asked. “Then, which team shall I break down to be teamed up with them?”

My colleagues were tensed instantly and caught in silence. They exchanged glances, but no one spoke. Alexa glared at the table, her face paled and Abel was equally tensed next to her. Despite often got into bantering with each other, I knew that Abel saw Alexa as his own sister. They were thicker than blood, and both hated sorcerers to the bone. I glanced at Scarlett and Aeronwen. They were lovers, asking them to be in separated teams were completely out of the question. That was the same as the twins and my other best friends, Shyu and Pats, who were also lovers and partners.

I felt a tug on my leather jacket, so I turned my head at Hannah, my partner slash another best friend. We had been partners since we graduated from the academy and started to work as field agents here, at the EOPID. The two of us were not man (and woman) of action, so mostly we were the team’s benchwarmer, giving the spotlight to the more action-loving teams, like Abel-Alexa, or the twins.

Hanna arched her eyebrows, subtly asking for my opinion. Her green, doe-eyes riveted to Campbell and McAllen. I sighed. I understood that we were the best option. Both of us dislike sorcerers too. _I_ despised them, but if we had to, we could collaborate with them. Gathering all my resolution, chanting ‘ _it’s for the greater good_ ’ in my head, I raised my hand.

 “Break down our team, Miss!”

“Are you sure Tony, Hannah?” Aeronwen asked. His long fringes screened his sterling-grey eyes, but I knew he stared at us sternly.

Next to me, Hannah was nodding once more, firmly than before. “Lior and Erwann are inseparable, as well as Shyu-Pats and Aeron-Scarlett. If either Abel or Alexa is to be together with a sorcerer, they certainly will be in constant argument and bickering with them. Hence, we are the most make sense of choice of team to be broken down,” she reasoned, speaking out my mind exactly.

Miss B’s oval lips, tinted with dark-red lipstick were drawn into a satisfied smile. Standing just next of her was McAllen, who was also flashing a thin smile. McAllen had his eyes on Hannah, which my petite, doll-like best friend returned in a shy manner. I frowned at that.

Campbell stood up to his full height, which was slightly towering over me, drew my attention back to him. He was lean, but his overall built was broader than my own body, giving the impression that he was bigger and much taller than me.

“Then, I’ll be with the pretty boy, and Cody, you go with the doll,” Campbell said, offering a handshake at me, flashing a set of white-pearl teeth. “I hope you won’t mind.”

I sighed, standing up and returning his handshake. His hand was bigger than mine too. It enwrapped my hand firmly, coating it with his warmth.

“It’s Anthony Lotsano, not pretty boy. I hope we can work together well,” I said curtly, ignoring another wink he gave me.

**

**Author's Note:**

> Please tell me what you think? Thanks for reading


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